A review of the concert on March 17, 2002 by Dr. Thomas Wendel.
When the most recent Cliburn Competition gold-winner-winner Olga Kern made her area debut here March 16, it was with a piansitic program made up of chestnuts and fairly nouveau cuisine.
In her varied program, the Russian-born Kern proved herself a pianist of remarkable virtuosity and musical intelligence. The chestnuts were Schumann’s “Scenes from Childhood,” Chopin’s F-minor Fantasy, plus some Liszt — “Liebestod” and transcriptions from Mozart’s “Don Giovanni”, the latter less a transcription than, true to its title, a “reminiscence.” The fairly nouveau dish was Samuel Barber’s big-boned Piano Sonata, Opus 26. The real spice of the program was provided by two remarkable works of Messiaen from his “Quatre Etudes de Rhythme,” two studies both titled “Isle de feu” (Island of Fire).
Her approach reminded me a little bit of that of Helene Grimaud with her tremendous power and digital dexterity. And indeed not unlike Grimaud, that power might at times be just a little misplaced, as was the case in her extroverted reading of the introverted Schumann’s musical musings of childhood.
But whatever doubts were raised by this concert opener were quickly allayed by Kern’s superb projection of the Messiaen studies that followed. Here in tone clusters and clouds of swirling thirds were revealed utterly new piano sounds. In these too brief studies Messiaen is again revealed as a prime musical innovator who is yet to achieve the large public recognition he deserves. Short as they were, these Messiaen pieces provided the recital highlight.
Barber’s sonata (1949) is another profoundly significant score in terms of reconceptualization of the piano’s seemingly inexhaustible expressive possibilities. No wonder, for it was written for Vladimir Horowitz, who was originally dissatisfied with the work in that it lacked a flashy finale. Barber shortly complied with a knuckle-breaking four-voice fugue. The first movement, true to sonata form, provides a kind of narrative as witness the introduction and then imaginative development of the dotted-note main theme. Here also, the supposedly neo-romantic Barber resorts to a modified 12-tone technique of great effectiveness. The “Allegro vivace” second movement is a delightfully playful scherzo. The following Adagio is one of Barber’s finest achievements: the music with its rocking 3/4 time pulse is grandiose, yes, but is at the same time profoundly moving. The last-movement fugue takes us in spirit back to the scherzo. The term “Fuga” might lead us to expect a movement of high seriousness. But the fugue theme itself, playful, delightful, tells us not to worry. This closing movement is music of great charm and virtuosic panache.
Following intermission, Kern performed the Chopin Fantasy and Liszt pieces with great aplomb, bringing Isolde’s Liebestod, for example, to an overwhelming climax. The “Don Giovanni” reminiscences were more Liszt than Mozart, and as such brought the recital toa dazzling close.
The audience leapt to its feet with applause and was rewarded by three encores: a Prokofiev Etude (No. 4), the lovely trifle, “Music Box” by Liadov, and finally the dancing “Hopak” of Mussorgsky transcribed by Rachmaninoff.
The entire concert was a fitting tribute to the nine years of service to the Steinway Society by founder-director David Dumont, who shortly leaves this area for Seattle. He will be sorely missed; the San Jose piano devotees wish him well.
